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Trackside - Greatest car crash escapes
29 January 2007 Hammond survived thanks to the massive improvements made in motor sport safety. Many other lucky drivers have escaped injury in gigantic crashes, that might have had terrible consequences in years past, as Keith Collantine explains. When Richard Hammond’s jet dragster speared off the runway at 280mph last September, his life was in the hands of motor sport safety technologies that have evolved over decades of racing. Although the car’s roll hoop ploughed into the ground, it and his Arai GP5-1 F1 helmet protected his head in an impact over 150 times the force of gravity. Safety systems in top-level motor racing such as Formula One are even more advanced. The Head and Neck Safety (HANS) device, for example, is a collar worn by F1 drivers to prevent excessive damaging neck movement in an accident. But the quest to improve safety standards in motor sport never stops – which is vitally important when you look at some of the accidents drivers have survived over the years. Mark Webber crashed heavily in in the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix. But future champion Fernando Alonso came along and tried to go one better. He struck some debris from Webber’s car, hammered into one barrier and careered off into another. Yet he was able to climb from his Renault and walk away unaided – albeit limping badly. In the first ever round of the A1 Grand Prix series the strength of the cars was put to test straight away by Lebanon’s Basil Shaaban. He collided with Enrico Toccacelo at Paddock Hill bend at Brands Hatch and barrel-rolled into run-off – his reaction captured by this magnificent on-board camera. We interviewed Katherine Legge before her debut season in the Champ Car World Series, and she told us how much she was looking forward to the high-speed Road America circuit. Amazingly, she was still smiling after this shocking 165mph accident caused by a broken rear wing. Notice how the car breaks apart completely, absorbing the force of the crash, leaving only the ‘survival cell’ containing Legge, intact. Her only injury was a bruise on her knee. The start of a race is always the most dangerous time – and here’s why. Drivers complained that the wet Belgian Grand Prix in 1998 should have had a rolling start behind the safety car, keeping the cars from bunching up too tightly. Instead they set off from a standing start and, when David Coulthard spun off, the biggest multi-car accident in F1 history ensued. Finally, a truly remarkable escape for Ryan Briscoe in the American Indy Car series. When two open-wheeled cars interlock wheels, anything can happen – which is a massive challenge for circuit designers. Briscoe’s car tests the strength of the massive fences used on oval circuits to their limit in this huge shunt. Auto Trader links Auto Talk - Katherine Legge |
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